Mini-Guide to Fitness for Busy Women

In between scheduling meetings and keeping up with numerous other work and family commitments, it is often all too easy to skip your workout and promise yourself that you will find the time tomorrow.

Keeping fit, healthy and looking toned are all admirable goals that the majority of women are committed to achieving—amongst the thousands of other things that are occupying your mind and filling that daily planner.

Here are seven ideas that will help you fit that all-important fitness schedule into your hectic lifestyle.

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Do Mornings

Between 6AM and 7AM is a pretty good time to fit in a run or workout using a yoga or fitness DVD.

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There are plenty of studies which strongly suggest that women who manage to work out first thing in the morning, before the day starts to unravel, tend to stick to their programs more often, want to eat less and sleep better than those who try to exercise at different times of the day.

You may not be a morning person, but the simple advice is to try to become one. The initial pain of dragging yourself out of bed to get the heart rate working early through a regular exercise regime, will soon be forgotten when you look in the mirror and see pleasing results.

Make It Easy on Yourself

Part of the motivational problem at the gym is not just the aspect of finding the time to get there, but it is also the hassle it sometimes feels like in getting all your exercise gear together before you are able to even go and workout.

Make the task easier by renting a gym locker where you can keep all your gear onsite. This makes it feel a lot easier to find the time to exercise, when you can simply show up, get changed and get straight to work.

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Plan Your Workouts

In the same way that you probably have a long to-do list for everything else going on in your life, you will almost certainly find you are better motivated and prepared for your workouts, if you write a weekly list of fitness goals.

Try writing out your planned workouts on a series of cards. Keep them in sight and ditch each card as you complete the tasks. By the end of the week, you will be sufficiently motivated to finish up without cards and have a healthier, more toned body.

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The Magic Number

Always try to bear in mind what is considered to be the “magic number” when it comes to a successful exercise regimen.

Three and a half hours a week is that number. This is amount of time you should spend each week engaged in varying levels of physical activity, if you want to achieve meaningful weight loss through exercise and a healthy diet.

It is also worth pointing out that if at some stage you decide to get a helping hand with your goals through consulting with specialists like KR Plastic Surgery, the fitter and healthier you are will only help to get the best possible results, both before and after.

Start in the Kitchen

Good habits relating to exercise and a healthy diet start in the kitchen.

Anyone coping with a hectic work and family schedule can easily be tempted into getting a quick-fix with some sugary snacks or other junk-food items, especially if they are readily available in the cabinet or refrigerator.

Try to be ruthless: Go through your cabinets and fridge, ditching all of those hard-to-resist snacks and any other temptations. Replace them with some healthier alternatives and you will be well on the way to resisting the wrong sorts of food temptation when you are pressed for time.

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Follow the Supermarket Trick

If you hadn’t noticed, most supermarkets put what they want us to buy at eye level.

You can copy this trick for yourself in your kitchen, by putting healthy foods, such as Greek yogurt or fruit, at eye level in the fridge and pantry. This way you will see them first, before any less healthy alternatives you might have around.

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The Big Four

Good diet and regular exercise are the key components to a healthy lifestyle, but if you are really busy, it can be a challenge to stick to these goals every week.

Life is unpredictable and plans come unstuck, so try to make a minimum commitment to at least do what are referred to as “the big four” every week, when it comes to exercise.

If you really have very little time available, there are four body-weight moves that will get you the best results: lunges, push-ups, plank pose and squats. Concentrate of these four simple exercises and do them as a circuit, repeating them four times in your mini-workout, without taking a break in between.

Many women lead incredibly busy lifestyles, but do try to make time in your schedule to look after your body and to eat well, it will pay dividends in the long run.

Dr. Kevin Ruhge is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons who runs a busy cosmetic surgery practice in sunny Pasadena, California. He serves patients throughout southern California and throughout the United States. His posts appear mainly on health, medical and wellness websites.

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